Quiet as a Mouse
by Cerabellum's Matrix
Summary: After discovering the absence of one of his main tea party guests, Hatter fears he may be growing apart from his mental Wonderland and may actually be going...SANE. As Hatter desperately attempts to recover his missing guest to fix everything, he by chance finds a miss Lillian Mickie. Will this odd girl be a frabjous candidate for the little Dormouse? HatterXOC
1. Where is the Dormouse?

Jervis Tetch poured more tea, only half a cup, into his teacup before setting down the yellow teapot. He went to take a drink, but when no hot liquid greeted his lips, he furrowed his brow and looked down to see that the tea had poured all over the large tea table. He frowned, and set the teacup in front of him, inspecting it.

"I didn't think the hole was so large..." he muttered, eyeing the hole that occupied the space where the bottom of the cup should have been. He heard a manic laugh, and ducked before a fresh cup went whizzing just over his hat. It smashed somewhere behind him and he sat upright again, taking in the sight of his companion, the March Hare. March giggled, and shrugged his shoulders.

"I was givin' you a new one, but I guess you don't want it!" he said in a jittery manner. Hatter made a mental note to give March one lump of sugar instead of two in the future, then contemplated his friend's words.

"I can't use a new cup," he began to say, "it's not time to change seats yet." He picked up an overlarge pocket watch, which was currently oozing strawberry jam, and pointed to the time it showed. "See? Not time yet."

"Nuh-uh!" March leaned over his seat and took from the ground a wall clock, then slammed it onto the table. He pointed with a shaky finger at the time it showed, which was exactly the time Hatter's watch was set at. "It. Is. Time! Time, time, time! More tea!" he said. Hatter shook his head.

"It is not time yet, you hare-brained fur ball!" he said, then leaned over and tapped on a rather large green teapot that sat to his left. "Nevermind, we'll have Dormy rule it out. That's why we have three! Three means no ties! Dormouse! Come out and take tea with us!"

"But it's not time to change our seats!" March said, looking to Hatter's watch.

"It is so! Look at the time!" Hatter pointed at March's clock, then looked back to the green teapot. No one had emerged, and he huffed in agitation. "Dormy, really! No more Poppies for you! Come out!" Again, nothing. Not even a single stir. Exasperated, Hatter lifted the lid and peered inside. No one there. He'd been talking to a teapot and nothing more that entire time, but that wasn't what his mind was focused on. Where was Dormouse?

"Hatter." March said to him, but he didn't look at his friend, and instead scanned the large table. Nope, not there. "_Hatter._.." March's words sounded off. Hatter didn't think too much on it though as he leaned over and looked under the table. Not there either.

"What the devil..."

"_Jervis_!" Hatter blinked wildly and sat back up to look at March. Only it wasn't March. Instead of the twitchy rabbit sitting there and giggling, a skinny man with rust red hair and calculating brown eyes glared at him from behind rectangular glasses. The _other_ March. Hatter felt something tug at him, and he felt a small pang in his head as the surreal landscape melted away, leaving him inside of a dingy room. Instead of the tea table with various multicolored teacups and pots, there were normal people, all sporting an orange jumpsuit and sitting bored while staring at the small television that was bolted to the wall. _The Rogues_, his mind hinted to him before he could question. He went to take his hat from the top of his head, but it wasn't there. Just thick, wavy blonde hair greeted him, and he scratched it in slight confusion.

Where the devil was he again?

"Jervis, could you please stop looking about like some daydreaming child and make the damn move already?" The other March, Jonathan Crane, said in mild annoyance. Hatter followed his friend's pointing finger to gaze upon the table where there was a chess game set up.

Everything clicked.

"_Oooh_, yes of course. Arkham." he said, and waved the confusion away before he peered over his white chess pieces. He took his knight and brought it forward, stealing one of Crane's pawns. Crane huffed, and began to study the board intently. Hatter rest his chin on top his hand and sighed, the natural boredom of the small room sinking in. He bit the inside of his lip in thought while Jonathan continued to analyze the pieces. Where was Dormouse? The little mouse was always there, sleeping or not. She was never absent. Ever. Why would she skip out on one of their tea parties now? Something had to be up. Perhaps she had a cold. Perhaps something else...

Hatter glanced over at Jonathan, and an idea formed. But would it work? Only one way to find out he guessed. He cleared his throat and leaned forward.

"Marchy-"

"Do not call me that." Jonathan said abruptly as he sent his black queen forward.

"March."

"_Jervis-_"

"Jonathan." Hatter said before Crane could make an insulting remark. "You're an expert in psychiatry..." Jonathan raised a brow, but nodded.

"Yes, and what of it?" he asked.

"Do you have any idea about daydreams and the mind's attachment to fantasy worlds?" Hatter asked. Both of Crane's brows were raised now, and he gave Hatter his full attention. The chess game was long forgotten.

"Jervis, you're admitting that you understand that your Wonderland is a complete fabrication of your delirious mentality?" he asked in surprise. Hatter hesitated before giving a half nod.

"Yes and no. I just have a question about my tea parties..." he said. Jonathan placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together in pure interest. He wasn't interested in that ridiculous place, but rather the fact that Hatter was being so open about it. Hatter never really shared his stories of that place, and he definitely never hinted that he knew it was all a deluded fantasy. The ex-psychiatrist could help being interested in this possibility that Jervis Tetch may be progressing in his mental health.

It was almost scary...

"Go on..." he said, concealing his mild excitement with a businesslike tone. Hatter twiddled his thumbs together before taking a breath and doing as instructed.

"At every tea party I attend, there is myself, you and Dormouse." he said.

"Me being the March Hare..." Jonathan muttered. Hatter nodded.

"Yes, who else could you be?" he asked.

"Just continue..."

"Oh, of course. As I was...ehm...where was I?"

"There's only me you and Dormouse at the tea parties..." Jonathan mumbled as he massaged his temples, slightly regretting his interest. Hatter would take forever with this...

"Oh, yes, right. Anyway, there's only the three of us, see, and it's always us three. Never more or any less."

"Right..."

"But this time was odd, you see, because there was indeed one less. Dormouse was missing from her teapot, and I couldn't find her anywhere!" Hatter splayed his hands in exasperation and slouched. "I was wondering if you would know where she might be?" Jonathan hooded his eyes in thought as he sat back in his seat. He tapped one of his pawns as Hatter waited, practically on the edge of his seat in anticipation. Crane finally looked up at Tetch with curiosity etched on his face. He pointed over to Poison Ivy, who was tending a plant in the corner.

"Who is she in Wonderland?" he asked. Hatter glanced at her and back to Crane.

"Red Queen."

"Who's he?" Crane asked, pointing to Joker, who was on the couch, playing rock paper scissors with Harley Quinn.

"Cheshire, of course."

"Who's she?" Crane pointed to Harley now.

"The Dodo."

"Him?" Crane pointed to Riddler.

"He's the Caterpillar, but you seem to be acting much like Caterpillar, with all your questions on who people are, March." Hatter said with an amused, yet confused smile. Crane ignored the comment, and leaned forward.

"Now, in this world, the _real_ one where everything is boring and dull and not full of ridiculous singing flowers, _who is the person that represents the Dormouse?" _he asked.

"Why it's obviously...um..._well._..." Hatter frowned and pondered the question. He finally looked up with wide blue eyes. "I haven't any frabjous idea who that may be, actually..." he said in realization. Jonathan nodded.

"I thought so. Perhaps the Dormouse has gone missing because of that, hm? It's only a theory, but it still makes sense."

"You're saying that if I want to have Dormouse back at my parties, I need to find a suitable person to represent Dormouse _here_?!" Hatter asked. Jonathan nodded again, and Hatter gripped his hair. "But no one I know is meant to be Dormy! Oh, _Jabberwock_!" Hatter stared hard at Crane. "Is there any other theories?" he asked meekly.

"Yes...but that theory is that the absence of your small ally is the beginning of your mind's pull from Wonderland, and soon you won't be able to daydream of that place at all. You'll be stuck in reality in a matter of months..." Crane muttered in a slightly menacing tone, causing Hatter's face to pale.

"I...I feel a tad faint..." Hatter mumbled when Crane's words hit him, and his eyes fluttered shut as he fell off of his chair and onto the floor, unconscious. Crane only smirked while the other rogues looked in mild surprise.

It was so much fun scaring people.

...

At lunch, Hatter picked at his food sadly, poking it here and there, never daring take a bite. He'd already been made a bit ill by Crane's earlier words, and he didn't feel like puking back up some strange, grey, mystery food at the moment.

"Losing Wonderland. Ha...laughable." he muttered, his eyes narrowed into worried slits. He couldn't lose his Wonderland. It was absolutely out of the question. How would he be able to escape this wretched place if he didn't have Wonderland tucked safely away in his brain, always ready for him to return to? He could drift off right now if he wanted to. Hatter considered doing exactly that, but refrained for fear that Crane's theory might be true. What if he went back and there was much more missing than Dormouse? What if the chairs were gone and they had nothing to sit in? What if the entire tea table was gone, and they had to use the ground to rest their teacups on? What if the teacups went missing?

What if there was no more _tea_?

Hatter shivered at that horrid thought, and shook his head as he returned his focus to the weird food in front of him.

"Pish-posh..." he said to himself. "No tea, indeed. Such a silly thing to imagine..." his attempt to reassure himself worked only a little, and he groaned returning to his original worried state within seconds. He thought about Crane's first theory, that he simply needed to assign someone the role of Dormouse, and she'd reappear in Wonderland. "Hmmm...perhaps I could...but who, I wonder?" he asked himself, and scanned the cafeteria. After some minutes of searching, he sighed and stabbed at his food. No one was suitable for Dormouse, he knew that. Crane was March because Hatter spent the most time with him in the world of reality. Cane was close, just as March was, so so he was dubbed that. But no one else fit Dormouse's role, nor even spent time with him like Dormy or March did.

No one was worthy...

He didn't know that at that moment, the main doors to Arkham Asylum opened, bringing forth a new person to call the enormous facility home. She didn't make a sound as she was lead forward. Not a single peep.

She was as quiet as a mouse...

...

**Author's Note: Bwaaaa, I'm stuck on my other stories, so I'm using this to knock the cobwebs outta my brain. Well, this is obviously a Hatter fic...**_**.obviously.**_** Crane will still be a major character because I just love writing him so much, haaaa~. **

**Anyway. Hope you enjoyed! Thoughts? Comments? More to come soon, since I'm stuck with everything else, haha. ;) **


	2. Slipping Away

"Mr. Tetch, you haven't spoken for nearly five minutes. Is something on your mind?" Dr. Leland's words were barely registered by Hatter as he tapped warily on the arm of the chair he sat in. It had been four days since Dormouse had gone missing from his tea table, and she still hadn't returned whenever he finally went back to his Wonderland. It was at this moment that Hatter was beginning to truly believe his tiny colleague was lost to him, and he still was unable to find anyone worth representing her in the real world. He feared that it may be too late.

Hatter's sad eyes lifted to peer at Leland, and he gave a great sigh.

"I've been contemplating, Joan..." he said lazily. She tilted her head to the side and picked up her pen to note his oddly depressing tone.

"About words that begin with the letter 'M'?" she asked, believing he'd begun with his Wonderland quotes. Hatter frowned at her.

"Of course not. Why on earth would I do that?" he asked. "Contemplating words that begin with the letter 'M'. How ridicu-" he cut himself off, his eyes beginning to bug as he realized what he'd nearly said. He clapped his hand over his mouth "_Oh, my_..." he mumbled. Leland was writing furiously now. This was the first time she'd ever heard Hatter say something like that. Was this a possible breakthrough?

"Mr. Tetch, why would you say something like that?" she asked when she was done writing. Sweat had broken on Hatter's brow, and he shook his head at her question.

"H-haven't the foggiest..." he said when he removed his hand from over his mouth. But he did. He just didn't want to share that information with her. But he blinked when he realized that she may possibly be able help him. She was a psychiatrist too, after all. It wouldn't help to get a second opinion on the matter. "Er," he began, "well I do have the foggiest, but it's rather...disturbing..." he said, and Leland leaned forward, beckoning him to go on.

"Tell me, please." she said. Hatter gripped the fabric of his jumpsuit nervously.

"Um...Joan...I fear I may be..._progressing_..." he said, flinching at his own words. Leland's eyes widened as she took in what he said.

"How so, Mr. Tetch?"

"Well, first of all...Dormouse is still missing..." he said. Leland quirked a brow at that, but decided to question it after he was done speaking. "And now I'm ridiculing quotes from Lewis Carroll..." he went on to mumble a string of other things that Leland could barely hear. "The whole situation has rather put me off my tea..." he finally said.

"Mr. Tetch, what are you implying through all of this." sha asked. Now Hatter was really shaking, strands of his blonde hair falling over his face.

"Joan...I fear I may be l-losing Wonderland..." he said. He splayed his hands in front of him and stared at them. "I can feel it slipping ever so gently from my fingertips...it frightens me..." He looked up at her shocked face, which she quickly masked before removing her large circular glasses.

"You mean to tell me that you are receding from your mental world?" she asked. Was that a happy tone? Hatter really couldn't tell for sure.

"Yes, I believe I am..." he said. "Joan, I think I'm going _sane_..." he said the final word bitterly, wishing he'd never had to say it. 'Sane' was a word he preferred to keep miles away from his vocabulary, and now here he was saying it.

"That is..." Leland said, "incredible, Mr. Tetch. You should be proud of yourself." Hatter's mouth fell open at that and he stared at her in disbelief.

"How the devil is any of what I'm currently experiencing at all incredible? It's terrible! I may as well be being pulled apart by a group of Jub-Jub birds!" he exclaimed. "There is no pride being felt here, Joan! I'm losing Wonderland! It's not incredible! It's..it's..." Tears fell down Hatter's cheeks, and he sat roughly back in his seat. "It's very bad..." Leland cleared her throat after an awkward moment of silence, and placed her glasses back on her face.

"Mr. Tetch, I understand that you are losing a valuable part of yourself, going through all this. But you need to understand that there is so much good to come from it. If this progress continues, you'll soon be heading out the doors to this asylum-"

"And straight into a prison cell..." Hatter said. Leland furrowed her brow at this.

"Excuse me?"

"You make it sound like I'll be released after obtaining my sanity..." Hatter said, his voice hollow, and flat. "No I won't. I've killed many,_ many_ people, Joan. They're not just going to hand me my release papers when they figure out I can think rationally. They'll transfer me to a prison. Blackgate, possibly." he said. Leland gave a small sigh, knowing that he was correct.

"But, even so..." she said gently in an attempt to reassure him. "You'll still be sane." Hatter only scoffed, and crossed his arms. God, she just didn't get it, did she? No, of course not. Nobody understood.

"What the bloody hell is sanity worth, when you have nothing but a cell to reside in?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I don't understand..." Leland said. Hatter smirked.

"Of course not, of course not." he said. "You've never spent months at a time in solitary confinement, with your arms strapped to your sides by fabric and buckles. I have, multiple times. And each and every time, Wonderland was always there for me to escape to. While I sat there in a tiny dark cell, I was really taking tea with my friends, not a care in the world and having ever so much fun." Hatter's expression became dark then. "I couldn't _imagine_ having to sit there in the dark for hours, staring into nothingness, with no one to talk to. And if this keeps up...if this keeps up, I'll lose my escape...just the thought of that is enough to drive me mad all over again..." he finished sadly.

"Mr. Tetch..."

"My Wonderland may be heckled most of the time by my colleagues, but even they respect my ability to completely emerse myself into an entirely different world while stuck in here. While they stare at a wall, I have an entire landscape to explore. It's a form of madness that people would truly kill for. And now...I'm losing hold. I don't even know why. I just want everything to be all better...I want to see Dormouse again..." Hatter rest his head on Leland's desk, staring down at the floor. "I'm doomed, Joan...ever so doomed. The future looks bleak and dull...colorless...no frabjous days ahead. Just..._reality_..."

"Well, Mr. Tetch." Joan said as she took more notes. "Even if you find reality to be so dull you'll eventually realize that even this place can be it's own sort of Wonderland. You just have to find a way to understand that. You will. I have faith in you."

"If you believe that, you're dumber than the Dodo, Mary-Anne..." Hatter said with a short, joyless laugh.

"I'm sorry?" she asked. Hatter sat up then, his eyes distant as he regarded her.

"I say, Mary-Anne..." he said dreamily. "Aren't you supposed to be retrieving Rabbit's gloves? Better get along before you're late for croquet..." he said. Leland sighed at this knowing that he wouldn't be back for hours from his imagination. The session was over. She called in the guards to escort him back to his cell, and they came in and cuffed him before hauling him to the door. He stopped abruptly before they could exit, and turned back to Leland. "Oh, yes, I have a question, Mary-Anne..." he said.

"Uhm, yes?" she asked.

"Have you by chance seen Dormy, anywhere? I've been looking all over for her..." he said. Leland paused when she saw the intense amount of hope written on his face. She sighed.

"N-no, I didn't. I'm sorry." she said. The hope disappeared, replaced by disappointment.

"Oh...alright. Goodbye, Mary-Anne..."

"Yes, goodbye..." As the door closed, Leland looked back down at her notes. There were many. And they revealed more than any other sessions with Jervis Tetch combined. Within ten minutes, Jervis poured his heart out. Yes, this was indeed signs of progress...

But after what he said, Leland wasn't sure whether or not to be happy about that.

...

Two days later, Hatter wasn't any better. He was shutting himself up more than usual in his frantic attempt to keep his world glued together. Constantly muttering under his breath and pulling at his yellow hair, he began to make even the other Rogues feel a tad bit uneasy. His disheveled appearance and unusually psychotic ramblings made him look like he was on the verge of exploding, and they didn't want to be within his vicinity if it happened. After all, the Mad Hatter had immense potential to become one of the most dangerous criminals in their group.

While at dinner, Hatter seemed to be interrogating his food, earning more wary glances from his colleagues. All except Crane, who was the only one who felt nothing at all towards Hatter's odd behavior. Having been Tetch's closest friend for years, much to the doctor's dismay, he was used to Hatter's episodes. Ignoring Hatter, and anyone else, he went on with his meal, his mind set on new formulas for his future experiments.

That is, until he was poked in the side by someone on his right. Grumbling, he looked over to see Harley staring at him with wide blue eyes.

"What is it, Harleen..." he asked her in annoyance. He preferred to call her by her proper name, since she'd once been a rather brilliant doctor who worked just under him when he headed Arkham. He'd rather remember the level-headed woman, instead of the bubble-brained nitwit in front of him now. Harley pointed to Hatter, who was still speaking to his mashed potatoes.

"Can't you work with him on this? You're a psychiatrist..." she said, her usual Jersey accent gone. She was serious. Crane rolled his eyes.

"Why must _I _do it? You are a doctor as well. Why not _you_-"

"Because I am not the March Hare, _am I_?" she said. Crane scoffed at the remark.

"Yes, I'm aware that you are not the representation of an idiot rabbit." he said. Harley tisked at her former boss.

"You're his closest friend, Dr. Crane. He won't listen to anyone like he listens to you. You need to help him-"

"I don't need to do _anything_-" before Crane could finish, Harley had her plastic spork held against his throat. The other Rogues, besides Hatter, stopped eating and watched intently. Harley dug the tips into his skin before speaking.

"Dammit, Dr. Crane..." she said, her accent returning. "If you don't go over there and help poor Mr. Tetch, I'll rip yer throat out!" she hissed, and Jonathan believed her.

"At least you still have that power of persuasion, Harleen..." he muttered, and slapped her hand away before he stood up and begrudgingly walked over to Hatter and sit. Once he was seated to the right of Hatter, he studied the rambling man for a moment before deciding to speak. "What's your problem..." he said after a minute.

"Oh, March, hello..." Hatter said, not looking up from his food. "It's nice of you to join me..."

"_I couldn't resist._.." Jonathan grumbled, staring daggers at Harley for a moment. Harley noticed, and stuck her tongue out at him. He curled his lip, returning his attention to Hatter. "What's your problem?" he asked again.

"I'm losing my mind, only opposite..." Hatter said.

"You mean you're regaining your sanity..."

"Yes, precisely."

"I really don't believe that, but we can roll with it..." Jonathan said. "Suppose you were regaining your sanity. What's wrong with that?"

"_Everything,_ March." Hatter answered, stabbing the potatoes now. "No more Wonderland..." Crane nodded at this.

"Alright, so you don't want to lose your Wonderland...what have you been doing besides sniveling in order to keep from losing it?" he asked. Hatter looked up at Crane then.

"Why I'm looking for Dormouse, of course. She's the key. You said it. You remember!" he said. "You said her disappearance was the start of it all going away. If I find her, everything will be better again, and we'll have tea, and we'll have so much fun..." Hatter seemed like he was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Tetch, take some deep breaths before you pass out..." Crane said, mentally noting Hatter's words. Hatter did as instructed, and went back to staring at his food. "So..." Crane went on. "If you find this..._Dormouse._..you'll stop acting like more of an idiot than usual?" he asked. Hatter nodded limply.

"I've been searching ever so much, March..." he said. "Every chance I get, I'm looking around as best I can. But no one fits. Only Dormouse is Dormouse, and there are no Dormice here!" Hatter pushed away his food and buried his face in his hands. Jonathan gritted his teeth, an awful plan forming in his mind. He glanced back over at Harley, who watched him like a hawk. He cursed, and smacked the table.

"I'll...help you out..." He muttered. Hatter's head shot back up and he turned to his colleague in shock.

"You'll...you'll _what_?"

"I'll..._help_..." Jonathan said with clenched teeth. "Anything to make you stop blubbering everwhere..." he said. Hatter's face lit up then, something he hadn't done in a long while. He reached over and hugged Crane tightly, who stiffened at the contact. The other Rogues snickered, and he cast them a dark look, promising evil things if they didn't shut it. He pushed Hatter off of him and smoothed out his jumpsuit. "Don't ever do that again..."

"Oh, Marchy, this will be so much fun!" Hatter said. Jonathan hooded his eyes at that.

"Yes..._hooray._.."

"But why are you doing this?" Hatter asked curiously. "You're not the type to do favors. Curiouser and curiouser..." Crane looked back at Harley. She smiled wide at him and ran her finger over her neck to remind him of what would happen if he wasn't helpful. His expression was stony as he looked back to Tetch.

"Let's just say I don't have a _damned_ choice..."

...

**Author's Note: Yay, Jonathan is so helpful when he's forced to be! ;)**

**Thoughts? Comments? Please review! :)**


	3. Searching for Dormy

The next day, Crane walked a little slower than usual as he was escorted to his nine a.m. session. He glanced into every cell he passed, analyzing each and every person residing in them. He even considered the staff as he passed nurses, doctors, and guards alike. But when he reached the door to Leland's office, he hadn't found anyone worth Hatter's time. When he was inside the office, he sat roughly down and crossed his arms and legs, agitated that it would take more than a morning to solve Tetch's problem. This was all Harley's fault.

"Cursed woman..." he muttered, gaining Leland's attention.

"What was that, Dr. Crane?" she asked. Crane smirked at that. Even though he wasn't a doctor anymore, he was still respected as one.

Good.

"Women are infernal, evil creatures, Dr. Leland. Don't get involved with one if you value your safety..." he said. Leland gave a small smile of confusion.

"Could you clarify?"

"I could, but I won't." he said. "It's not very interesting, anyway."

"I might get interested. Would you please tell me?" she asked. Jonathan huffed.

"I'm doing a favor for an acquaintance." he said.

"And this has to do with women being evil...how?"

"Because I was forced to do this favor by a woman wielding a spork..."

"Well, Dr. Crane. It seems you had an eventful day yesterday..." Leland said.

"Sadly, yes..."

"Could I ask what the favor is?" Leland asked.

"Nothing terrible, if that's what you're wondering. Just having to play a game of search and find..." Crane rest his cheek on his knuckles and gazed around the room. He used to have an office in Arkham. But it was bigger...

"Search and find, hm?" Leland said, and Crane nodded, bored now. "Could that have anything to do with Mr. Tetch's missing Dormouse?" she asked. Crane stiffened slightly, but recovered, and went back to looking bored before Leland could register the slight change in attitude.

"No." he said. He didn't know what Leland would do if she found out his motives. It wasn't her business anyway. "That nutcase is beyond help..."

"That's almost shocking, coming from a former psychiatrist." Leland said, jotting down more notes. Jonathan saw that and grimaced. Writing was the worst form of note taking. There was always the chance you'd write something incorrectly. Tapes were much better...

"You of all people must know that there are some cases that just can't be helped, Dr. Leland." he said. Leland stopped her writing and set down the pen. She looked at Crane.

"At least I can try." she said. Jonathan shrugged.

"A useless endeavor..." Leland sighed and removed her glasses so she could pinch the brim of her nose.

"Yes, well...At least I'm paid." she said. She leaned back in her seat and rolled her pen in her fingers. Her sessions with the Scarecrow always ended up like this. Instead of making progress, they just ended up chatting. She guessed that's what happens when your patient was a former colleague who worked with you.

"You really need to tidy up in here." Jonathan said, bringing back her attention. Leland looked around the room. Folders were stacked a bit sloppily, and cabinets were open. Loose papers littered the surfaces.

"Yeah..." she said. "It's been a bit hectic. I've recently taken on a new patient. She just arrived over a week ago. Very sweet when she opens up." she said. Her expression changed to one slightly darker after that, and Crane did not fail to notice.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked. Leland hesitated.

"You know the protocol, Dr. Crane. I can't speak about my patient-"

"Joan, you and I both know that I am much too professional to spread gossip about a patient. Also, I really don't care either way. I'm bored, and a new patient sounds interesting enough to get me through this infernal session." he said. Leland glanced over to a folder sitting by her hand, and finally sighed in defeat. They had forty minutes to kill, and nothing else to talk about.

"Tell no one..." she warned. Jonathan rolled his eyes, but leaned forward in slight interest. Leland opened the folder and handed him a picture. "This is Lillian Mickie. She has a severe case of insomnia that has resulted in her having vivid hallucinations, intense paranoia and possibly multiple personality disorder."

Jonathan listened while taking in the photograph. A young woman, possibly in her early twenties, looked back at him with large brown eyes. Dark circles were formed under them, making her appear to not have had sleep in a long while. Her short black hair was in a chopped, pixie-cut style, with bangs that swept over the tops of her eyes. Freckles everywhere.

"How old is she?" Crane asked.

"Twenty-two." Leland answered. Crane whistled.

"So young."

"I know."

"Why is she in an asylum for the _criminally _insane?" he asked.

"She only sleeps when we give her medication for it. And when she does...she attacks things." she said. Crane furrowed his brow.

"Attacks things..." he muttered. Joan nodded.

"She claims to have horrific nightmares, and, while she defends herself from whatever she's dreaming is attacking her, she's really attacking people. She killed three people over a week ago, and that's why she's here."

"She killed people while sleeping?" Crane asked. "Very interesting..."

"Yes, and she fights her best when we try to get her to sleep. I have a feeling she doesn't want to do that again. She really is a sweet girl. Very quiet..." Leland said, taking back the picture and placing it back in the folder before closing it.

"Are you sure it's that?" he asked. Leland shrugged.

"What else could it be?" she asked. Jonathan went to answer, but a sudden knock on the door interrupted him. "Who is it?" Leland called.

"We have your next patient, Dr. Leland." came a guard's voice.

"I'm not finished with this one!" she called.

"I'm sorry, doc, but the paper says nine-thirty appointment." the guard replied. Leland covered her eyes with her hand.

"Ugh, I knew I forgot to reschedule something-"

"Uh, doc, she's tippin' over..." the guard said suddenly, his voice wary. Leland jumped up and opened the door.

"Bring her in quickly." she said. The guard walked in then, holding who Jonathan was surprised to be Lillian Mickie. She stumbled into the office, grabbing onto a shelf to right herself before could fall.

"Oh...sorry..." she said quietly.

"It's quite alright, my dear." Leland said, taking her from the guard. "I have this handled now, thank you." she said to him. He pointed to Crane.

"Want me to take him back to his cell?" he asked. Leland cast Jonathan a pleading look, and he stood.

"Might as well. I was becoming bored again, anyway..." he said, and walked over to the guard to be cuffed. As he was, he looked over to Lillian. She was rubbing her eyes, and, when she looked up, she stared straight back at him.

"I apologize for intruding..." she said meekly, casting her tired gaze downward.

"It's not your fault the staff scheduled our sessions incorrectly..." Crane replied, shooting a look at Leland.

"Oh..." was all Lillian said back. Leland took the chance to check the girl's temperature.

"You seem more tired than usual today..." she said. Lillian nodded.

"I haven't had my morning tea..." she said. Jonathan, who was walking out the door, halted dead in his tracks.

"I'll have some made for you now." Leland said.

"_Tea?_" Crane asked.

"Yes..." Lillian said. "I usually have tea every morning. It helps me stay awake during sessions..." Leland went to Crane.

"Strong tea the only thing she can have that will make her more alert. We aren't allowed to give patients caffeine pills or energy drinks, as you know. At least she likes it." she said so only he could hear, but he wasn't really paying attention to Leland. He was gawking at Lillian, who had taken a seat in the chair he was in earlier, and was looking thoughtfully at her feet.

Interesting.

"She isn't a high-risk patient, is she?" Crane asked. Leland shook her head.

"No, she's stayed quite calm so far during her stay, so no reason to place her in that wing." she said. Jonathan nodded, then allowed the guard to walk him outside. He grinned at himself inwardly. He was able to find a Dormouse in one morning after all. He just needed to have her switched to high-risk so she'd have meals and rec-time with the other rogues. The Hatter would finally stop his infernal whining and Harley would get off his back. In a matter of days he'd be back to nothing but his thoughts.

For a moment Crane almost believed in God.

...

Later, in his cell, Crane waited for the usual guard that checked the cells every few hours to make sure nothing odd was happening. Little did anyone know was that the guard worked for the Rogues as a smuggler. If they wanted it he got it, from cards to cigarettes to small weapons. Sure, it was a dirty thing to do, secretly working for Gotham's notorious, but hell, it payed better than his salary at Arkham.

As he passed Crane's cell, Crane tapped on the glass and beckoned him over.

"I have a small mission for you, Jacob..." he said. Jacob nodded and leaned lose so he could hear Crane's words through the wall of bulletproof glass.

"Yeah, boss?" he asked. "Need some new reading material?" Jonathan shook his head.

"I don't need books tonight, Jacob. I need you to do a bit of work on one of the Arkham computers."

"I dunno, boss. That's kinda steep..."

"It pays well. I assure you." Crane reassured, making Jacob's ears perk up.

"I'm listenin'..."

"Good, now pay very close attention..."

...

Two days later, Lillian Mickie woke up with a start. She was shaking, and tears welled in her eyes. She suppressed the urge to scream, afraid that she may wake up any other inmates on her block. As she tried to wipe her tears, she noticed her arms and legs were held down with straps.

"So I wouldn't cause trouble..." she whispered to herself. She knew what she was capable of while she was sleeping. "Terrible things..." she said. That's why they tied her down at night. She may not be able to harm anyone while alone in the cell but she was more than capable of inflicting damage on herself. "Too risky..." A loud rap alerted her, and she turned her head to see some guards outside her cell. "Yes?" she said.

"Got some orders to move you to a new cell, Mickie." one guard said. "We're gonna undo the buckles on your bed. Don't do anything funny, got it?"

"Yes, sir." she said back, and watched as they walked in and freed her arms and legs. She sat up slowly and allowed them to cuff her wrists. One guard helped her up off the bed, and she clutched his arm as she was lead outside. "Sorry for troubling you." she said to him, and his brows raised. He looked over at his partner.

"You said she was high-risk?" he asked. His partner looked over a paper in his hands.

"Yeah. Says her status was changed to high-risk yesterday." he said. The guard Lillian held onto sniffed.

"She's a little sweetheart, though." he said. Lillian blushed, but gave a curious look.

"What does high-risk mean?" she asked.

"It's where the_ really _dangerous inmates go." the guard with the paper said. Lillian stilled.

"Oh..." she looked back over at her cell. "What if I don't want to go there? The old man next to my cell is very nice..."

"Sorry lady, orders are orders." Lillian huffed, but nodded and allowed herself to be taken down the hall and to the high-risk wing.

"Is it nice there, too?" she asked. They said it was where the more dangerous inmates went. She tried to imagine them, the inmates. Were they large and monstrous, always talking about nothing but bloodshed? She shivered at the possibility.

"It's...interesting." the guard said. Lillian took to comfort from that. As they reached the hall she'd be staying in, she looked into the cells that already had inmates. One had a man with flaming red hair, while another housed a blonde with wide blue eyes. They neared her cell, and she passed a cell where the same man she saw the other day in Leland's office resided. He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit frightened by it. It seemed much more sinister than a normal smile should. She forced her eyes to look away from him, and moved on. They finally reached her cell, and they uncuffed her before locking her in.

"Thank you." she said to them before they left. They tipped their hats, and were gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Turning, she took in the sight of her new cell. It was a bit larger than her old one, and tidier. A small table sat next to the bed, and a light hung from the ceiling. "Quaint..." she said, and sat down on the bed.

She looked forward, and through the glass, she was able to see into the cell across from her. A man with thick blonde hair that went past his ears was sitting on his own bed, staring off into space. He appeared to be mumbling something, but she couldn't quite hear him. His blue eyes were nearly closed as he continued to mumble, and she noticed he had rather large teeth. His eyes finally closed altogether, and he was asleep. Lillian bit her lip in slight wonder and lay down on her bed to stere upward at the ceiling. So, at least the inmates weren't as scary as she originally pictured. She exhaled in relief.

The last thing she needed was more monsters in her nightmares...

"This really _is_ interesting..."


	4. What Can a Dormouse Do?

That afternoon, Lillian was escorted to the rec-room along with the others. She made sure to keep at the back of the group, not drawing any sort of attention from them. At least, she didn't think she was drawing attention. As soon as the doors were closed, leaving the Rogues to themselves to watch television or read, they all instead spun on Lillian before she could even make it to the bookshelf. She squeaked when she realized the numbers of eyes set upon her person, all analytic and judging. She gulped when she realized she was even the shortest person in there.

"Um...can I help you?" she asked quietly. The blonde woman with her hair in pigtails walked right up to her then, her blue eyes narrowing as she got a closer look. Lillian felt a shot of dread race through her veins, which didn't mix well with her tiredness at all, leaving her with a slightly nauseous feeling beginning to form in her stomach. She jumped when the woman placed her hands on her shoulders, and braced herself.

"Oh. My. Gawsh!" Lillian was surprised by the sudden words, and was even more taken aback by the crushing hug the woman brought her into. "You are so adorable I just wanna eat your little sweet cheeks up!" a Jersey accent called out sweetly. Lillian gently pushed the woman off her, blinking wildly.

"W-what?" she asked meekly, he voice shaky from the bit of shock. The blonde tousled Lillian's short hair lovingly.

"You're so quiet. What's yer name, toots?" she asked. Lillian swallowed before answering.

"Lillian...Lillian Mickie-"

"Like the Mouse? _Mickey Mouse_?" The blonde asked. Lillian went to shake her head, but the blonde took hold of her hand and shook it in her own.

"Name's Harley! Nice ta meetcha!" she said brightly. By then, the others had come a little bit closer to the two women. Harley pointed to each of them. "That's Eddie, that's Ivy, that's Dr. Crane, and that's...hey, where's Hat guy?" Harley's eyes wandered the room, and they lit up when they landed on Hatter. He was sitting on a couch by the bookshelf, reading a weathered book, completely oblivious to the current situation. "That's Jervis!" she said. Lillian nodded. "There's more of us," Harley continued, "But they're currently wreaking havoc in Gotham. You'll meet them though. Real nice people!"

"I see..." Lillian said, and attempted to stifle a yawn. She failed, and covered her mouth as she exhaled. Harley tisked and pointed to her eyes, the dark circles forming under them apparent.

"You should sleep more, kiddo..." she said.

"She can't." the man that Lillian learned to be named Crane spoke up, walking towards them as the other Rogues wandered off to do their own thing. Harley quirked a brow.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because," Crane said as he reached them, "Miss Mickie suffers from a severe case of insomnia..." he said. He cast a glance over at Hatter then. "She needs strong tea just to keep herself focused during sessions, the poor thing..." he said, raising his voice a little for a reason Lillian did not know. What an odd man...

"What's this about tea?" Hatter said suddenly, looking up from his book in interest. Crane smirked, and gestured to Lillian.

"Get over here and greet the new girl, Tetch..." he said in a scolding manner. He then looked to Harley, and pointed at Lillian. "My work is done." he said, and walked off to the chess table to join Riddler. Harley stuck her tongue out at him as he went, and Lillian gave her a curious look.

"What does he mean by that, Harley?" she asked. Harley only waved her hands.

"Nothin' toots! Ah, Hatter!" Harley waved at the blonde man as he walked up to them. He smiled at them, and Lillian returned the gesture with a shy smile of her own. "Hatter, this is Lillian Mickie. But I think I wanna call her Freckles!" Harley pinched Lillian's heavily freckled cheek then, and she blushed. "This is Jervis Tetch. He likes being called Hatter, though." Harley continued, then pushed Lillian towards Hatter. "Go on, shake hands!" she said. Lillian didn't understand Harley's enthusiasm towards introducing her to Hatter, but she chose to ignore the girl's strange action and held out her hand a it timidly for Hatter to take.

"Uh, hello, Mr. Tetch.." she said, using what little bravery she had to look him in the face with as much confidence she could muster. She repressed a tiny 'meep' of nervousness when she noted how much taller he was compared to her. So tall...

Hatter smiled a toothy grin before taking her hand and sweeping down to kiss it tenderly. By the time he straightened back up, Lillian could feel her face flush a bright red. Hatter didn't seem to notice, and instead smiled wider as he pat her hand.

"Quite lovely to meet you, my dear Lillian. And please, call me Hatter!" he said brightly to her in his english accent.

"Y-yes..." Lillian said, trying to recollect herself. "Nice t-to meet you as well, sir-uh, Hatter..." her voice was tiny. Harley grinned at Lillian.

"Aint he just a charmer? Always nice to the ladies!" Harley said, resting her elbow on Lillian's shoulder. Harley's eyes widened a bit, and she peered down at Lillian. "Ya know..." she said, "You're pretty darn short."

"Oh, yes..." Lillian said, clasping her hands together. "I'd like to be taller. Being this hight can be very troublesome sometimes..." she said. Hatter tilted his head to the side.

"It is a very good hight indeed..." he said, taking on a slightly far-off look. Lillian looked to Harley.

"Is he okay?" she asked. Harley nodded and smiled.

"Hat guy here often times drifts off into a world his own mind created to look like his own personal Wonderland. Call it a majorly advanced daydream. It happens all the time. No worries!" she said, and reached over to poke Hatter in the stomach. "Wakey, wakey! It's rude to leave a lady hangin'!" Hatter blinked a few times, and looked down at Harley.

"Oh, my apologies!" he said. "She just reminded me of a quote by the Caterpillar, and I'd thought I should and say hello to him..." he said. "He's doing rather fine."

"Caterpillar?" Lillian asked, puzzled. What on earth was this man talking about?

"Oh, you know." Hatter said. "The Caterpillar, from the work authored by Lewis Carroll; Alice in Wonderland." he said. Lillian gave a small frown.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't read that book yet..." she said. She knew she must have said something incorrectly when she noticed Hatter freeze in place, utter shock written over his facial features. "Is something wrong?" she asked shyly. Hatter snapped out of his look of surprise and gazed down at her with an intensity that nearly made her want to hide behind Harley.

"N-never read...oh, dear..." he said gravely and shook his head. "Oh, dear. I may as well be tossed to the bottom of a treacle well..." he said. Lillian shifted her weight to one foot.

"I'm sorry, but I only ever had a few moments of time to read anything when I lived in the city. And I really don't like to read anyway, since it makes me more tired than I am...Is it so bad that I haven't read this book?" Lillian asked. Harley laughed.

"Nah, Hatter just has a real hard-on for that book. His whole shtick is based around it!" she said. Hatter reddened slightly at Harley's words, but chose to ignore them and instead looked to Lillian.

"Would you like to see the book, my dear?" he asked. Before Lillian could reply, Harley shoved her forward, and she stumbled over only to be caught by Hatter.

"Of course she would!" Harley said. "Have fun!" after that, she cartwheeled away, leaving the two to watch as she joined Ivy across the room. Lillian realized she was still being held up by Hatter, and she straightened herself up quickly, blushing yet again.

"Um, about that book..." she said.

"Ah, yes!" Hatter said, and lead her over to the couch and picked up the battered book he was reading before. He handed it to her, and she ran a finger over the gold lettering that spelled out the title "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland". A cat's head smiled at her from under the lettering, and she couldn't help feeling slightly intrigued. She pointed to the cat.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"The Cheshire Cat, of course!" Hatter said. "He's such a fun character. You should meet him sometime!" Hatter said brightly. Lillian looked up at him, wondering of he'd caught the absurdity of his own words. But his expression showed that he didn't, and she tilted her head to the side.

"You're a rather curious person, Jervis Tetch..." she said, and Hatter beamed at her.

"Why thank you, Lillian Mickie!" he said, thinking of her words as a compliment, rather than an observation. "If I had my hat, I'd tip it to you!" he said. Lillian gave a tiny smile, which was broken by another yawn. She rubbed her eyes, and Hatter frowned. "I apologize if I bore you, Lillian." he said. Lillian shook her head quickly.

"Oh, no. It's not that." she said. "I'm just always tired. I need tea just to keep me awake during sessions..." she said, her eyes beginning to feel heavier than usual. Something in her mind stirred, and she was suddenly worried. She couldn't sleep, not now. She slipped a hand under her sleeve and pinched herself as hard as she could. The pain alerted her, and the stirring in her mind stopped. She sighed, and retracted her hand. A small bit of blood coated the tips of her fingernails. She was used to it, though. She'd done much worse to keep herself awake.

Hatter would have noticed her odd behavior, had he not stared off once again into space. This time, however, he was not receding back to his mental land of wonders. Instead, and idea had formed, and he was thinking as critically as he would whenever he created his mind control chips. This person...this girl. Could she possibly be the Dormouse he was searching for? She was small, meek, and most importantly, always tired. Just like his Dormouse.

_But she hadn't read the book yet... _He thought to himself. She didn't even know who the Dormouse was. How could she sit at his tea table if she didn't even understand her role?

"How frumious..." he muttered to himself. He'd need her to read the book. But books made her fall asleep, didn't they? No matter. He'd have her learn the story, even if he had to go as far as read it to her.

His insanity was at stake, after all.

"What did you say?" her small voice recaptured his attention. She was regarding him in tired curiosity with her brown eyes.

"Er, what was I saying?" he asked, not understanding her question.

"You said something. Frumious? What's that?" she asked. Hatter went to answer, but behind him the doors opened and in walked Dr. Leland with two guards. Lillian noticed she looked slightly angered as she scanned the room, her eyes finally falling on her. Relief washed over Leland as she walked quickly to the girl.

"_There _you are, dear." she said. "I just heard about your move to the high-risk wing. I have no idea why they would do that. But don't worry, I'll be going straight to the Warden about this-"

"_Dr. Leland_!" Crane said, appearing out of what seemed like nowhere. "How kind of you to visit!" he said brightly, seating Lillian on the couch as he stood in front of Leland, blocking the girl from the doctor's view. He had worked hard and spent a lot of money to get Lillian into the high-risk wing, and he'd be damned if she would be sent right back. He needed to think quickly, and stall Leland as best he could as he did so.

On the couch, Lillian watched Crane and Leland speak.

"I had a question, Dr. Leland..." Crane began.

"We can discuss it at out next session, Dr. Crane." Leland said, moving to retrieve Lillian. Crane stepped in front of Leland again, his hands splayed in front of him.

"But it's rather urgent!" he said quickly. Leland crossed her arms.

"_Fine_, what is it?" she asked impatiently. Crane faltered then. What the hell should he ask her? Lillian watched Leland tap her foot on the blue carpeted floor, the rhythm of the action making her eyes heavy. She looked down as something stirred in her mind again. Frantic, she pinched herself again.

_'Oh, no you don't...' _something crooned sweetly to her. Something only she could hear. Lillian whimpered, and the soft voice chuckled. '_Sleep, my dear...I don't like it when you hurt yourself to stay awake...'_

"Don' hurt them..." Lillian muttered, her head dropping from the weight tiredness had on it. She fought to keep her eyes open, but to no avail. "Don' hurt them..." she repeated before her eyes closed. The voice sighed, and stretched within her mind, taking over.

_'Fine...but no promises...' _it whispered. Lillian's eyes opened again, only slightly. They darted around the room. Crane was still arguing with Leland.

"What is the question, Dr. Crane?" Leland asked, her impatience clear on her face.

"How is a raven like a writing desk?" Hatter asked suddenly as he stared off. Crane nodded quickly.

"Yes, what he said." he said. Leland scoffed, and pushed past Crane to see Lillian. Crane stepped in front of her yet again, and Leland placed her hand on her hips, glaring at him now.

"Dr. Crane, this is highly unprofessional!" she said loudly. The other Rogues circled them now, talking excitedly as the guards tired to calm them down. Not-Lillian's eye twitched. She didn't like such loudness. It could wake her up, and her fun would be over. Perhaps they needed a lesson...

Before she could rise, however, something tugged at her mind. Real Lillian was halting her.

'No!' her voice rang in Not-Lillian's head. 'You promised!'

_"They're loud, and annoying..." _Not-Lillian muttered. No one heard her as they watched Crane and Leland continue to argue.

'They're kind! They're not like those others-'

_"You don't know that...you've known them for twenty minutes...don't judge so quickly. That's what got us in trouble last time. You trust too much-"_

'And you have none! Dina, please-'

_"Enough. Go back to sleep, damn you. I won't attack them..." _Not-Lillian said in annoyance. She hated when Lillian used her name like that. So pitifully...

'Thank you...' Lillian said, receding. Dina growled, the noise in the room growing. Didn't these imbeciles know she was trying to sleep?

_"Don't thank me so quickly...I'm still going to teach them a lesson..." _she said when Lillian was fully submerged into sleep. Dina stood from the couch, her gaze locking on one of the guards. He was the loudest, trying to back up the inmates. Dina liked her teeth. She promised not to touch the inmates. She said nothing about the guards...

Before anyone could register what was going on, she walked up behind the guard. Grabbing the top of his head and his chin, she spun his head around, the sickening pop of his twisting neck silencing the room instantly. Everyone looked at her as the guard dropped to the ground, his eyes permanently widened in shock. Crane gave a mental sigh of relief at the display. Lillian Mickie wasn't going anywhere, now. Lillian glared at all of them.

_"I'm trying to sleep..." _Dina said loudly and clearly to everyone, her mouth twisting into a cruelly sugary smile. _"Could you please keep it down?" _she added sweetly. The other guard ran at her. She tisked, and dodged him as he attempted to tackle her. As he fell, she slipped his buzz baton from its holster. Turning it on, she stepped to the fallen guard and smashed the rod of electricity into his eye. He screamed as the electric current crackled against his skin, and smoke rose from the burnt flesh as his body spazzed. In moments he was still, lifeless. Dina smashed the rod harder into his eye and let it go, the electricity vanishing and the baton staying upright in his socket. She smoothed out her uniform and smirked at the other Rogues.

"Cooool..."she heard Harley say, and she rolled her eyes. A tapping on her shoulder alerted her, and she spun around, knocking the potential assaulter to the floor and gripping his throat.

_"I don't like it when people sneak up on me..." s_he hissed, and nearly gauged his eyes out with her nails, but faltered when something in her mind restrained her. She shook her head and focused on her prey's face, then recognized him.

It was Hatter.

He looked back up at her with widened blue eyes. Not ones of terror, as they should have been, but ones of pure wonder. Intense curiosity.

"I was just going to tell you, my dear," he said calmly, "the meaning of frumious..." Dina's already heavily lidded eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"It means a number of things, actually. It could mean infuriating or simply furious." he stated. Dina curled her lip.

_"So you could say..." _she began _"That loud people make me rather frumious." _she said. Hatter nodded with a smile, happy that she understood. She huffed at his idiotic childness and stood, leaving him to help himself up. A sharp pain formed in her head, and she gripped her hair painfully. _"Dammit..."_ she muttered, looking to the Rogues. _"You woke me up..." _Her eyes closed, and she went limp, falling to the floor next to the guard with the baton embedded in his socket. Leland chose that moment to make her move, rushing to Lillian as the girl once again stirred.

Lillian's eyes opened, and the first thing she saw was the dead guard. Gasping, she sat up and jumped back away from the body and Leland, landing right in Hatter's lap. She began to shake when she noticed the other guard with the twisted neck.

"Oh, God..." she said, her voice once again small and incredibly timid. She looked at her hands. "Oh, God, I did this..." Leland scooted slowly over to her, one of the guards' walkie-talkie's in her hand. She pressed a button and brought the device to her mouth.

"I need two stretchers in here, a medic, and some guards to be sent to the west wing recreational room right now."


End file.
